Maybe in the Next Life
by Z-END99
Summary: A Reaper, a Knight, a Queen and a Fool. A broken promise... a tragic love. All destined to end, the same way it began. Rated M just to be safe.
1. Maybe in the Next Life

**Right, so this is without a doubt one of the darkest thing's I've written... ever... so I'll say this. This is a story containing MASSIVE CHARACTER DEATH so be warned. Either way, Spoilers for Season 5 Episode 3.**

 **I Do Not own RWBY. It belongs to Rooster Teeth and the Late Monty Oum: May he rest in peace**

* * *

In the Grimm Lands, Jaune Arc, a young man and failure who once attended Beacon Academy, glared at a woman, a monster named salem. He held onto his injured lover, deep within his arms, hearing her breath slow and shallow, her eyes losing the silver light of hope they once had as she tried to fight back from her injuries inflicted onto her by the witch before her.

This woman was Ruby Rose, a young woman and prodigy who once attended Beacon alongside Jaune. She fought... so hard to stop the witch, so hard to avenge their friends and families.

Penny was the first to go, despite being a robot, Ruby held a deep friendship with her... someone taken by Cinder's actions, tricking Pyrrha to slice through her, using her semblance and Penny's robotic design...

Next was Pyrrha, a huntress-in-training and partner to Jaune. a young girl who fell for the blond knight and died to fight off Cinder, who despite her skill, bravery... determination... still fell before her own eyes.

Next was Nora, one who had been killed taking a Lethal hit from a Grimm called the Knucklavee, which was soon killed by the remaining members of Team RNJR. Her partner Ren took it hard and eventually was the next to go, He fought the traitorous Lionheart with all he had, but was struck down, protecting Jaune, his last teammate and brother in all but blood.

Jaune didn't say anything after that, and she tried to cheer him up...

Next was her uncle Qrow... followed by her own partner Weiss.

While the Schnee was able to hold off Emerald and even delivering the final blow, she was attacked by the Scorpion Faunus named Tyrian...

A year passed and Winter Schnee, Weiss's sister left the military, offering them training. But it didn't last. First Beacon... then Haven...and soon after it was Atlas that fell next.

They put up a fight, Mercury. Adam Taurus and a man named Arthur Watts all died in that battle. But there was more lost on their side as well.

Winter had died, and so had Blake, a Faunus who was once partners with Adam and left for what she believed in... and what she died for...

Soon enough Shade and Vacuo fell, ending the reign of the four kingdoms but a resistance was formed, the continent Menagire was an example... the people there hunted down and killed a monkey Faunus tried to fight, but in the end, he fell to.

Yang was the next one, overloading her semblance to kill another man named Hazel while Ozpin and Glynda took us somewhere safe. Somewhere we could train in peace...

We were trained... we were lost and once news about Taiyang's death reached her ears, they found something else to keep

From pain and misery... they had found comfort and love in each-other...

Three more years had passed... and they had tried to escape her reign. Cinder had failed in killing Ozpin, and for that Hazel, Tyrian, Watts and more so, her own faction.

She took great pride as she fought against those that tried to stop her... she watched as ...Jaune, avenged his team, killing Cinder where she stood. And soon enough it boiled down to one last battle

a battle between a "Mighty Silver-Eyed Warrior" and a "Brave Hero of the Arcs." Glynda was dead, hope all but lost. Just one last thing to take care of... Ozpin?

Ozpin, an ancient soul as older than even herself glared. Oh how he tried to reason with her, tried to make her remember he old life... her family, their friends... even their own un-born child

* * *

"Why... Why the hell are you doing this" Jaune screamed, holding Ruby's body as Salem watched amused with the false bravado the knight spewed from his mouth. On a whim, she answered.

"Because there is no hope for this world, you have seen it haven't you. Such despair, such bitterness" she said as the knight pulled out his sword, preparing to fight.

"Your wrong... I... I'll... save Ruby... and stop you, I swear it!" he screamed. An Arc always kept their word... how ridiculous. Perhaps in another life... but it was too late for him now.

"J-Jaune" Ruby said weakly as Salem smiled. She almost forgotten about the young reaper before a cruel smile formed on her face. Perhaps the girl needed more suffering.

As the knight charged, she merely grabbed the sword, delivering a kick into his abdomen, sending him back and causing him to fall. She enjoyed his defiance, that look of anger as he got up once more.

"Jaune... Jaune, get out of here. Now!" Ruby screamed before he ran towards her. If he was running, he was taking her with him. He lost his team, his family and friends. And just like her, he refused to lose another.

Salem frowned at the display before her. Young Love, how hopelessly dull.

Ending it, she brought out a weapon, Ironwood's gun and shot him in the leg, forcing him to fall in front of the girl. Seeing her eyes widen in horror, the witch smiled and walked toward her.

"How does it feel girl" she began as Ruby looked up at her in horror as she stomped on the boy's head and looked down at the reaper

"To lose what you so desperately tried to protect" she said as she placed more pressure on it, watching the agony and his semblance prevent her from killing him.

"That semblance of his... how annoying" the Boy would live... like he always seemed to do. How she wished she could have ended him there... crushed like the roach he was under foot... but for her sake... she would spare him...

Looking at the girl, she seemed almost broken and with a smirk, the witch kneeled down, holding her head up and her other hand rubbing her cheek.

"Have you forgotten who I am... I am the Queen of Grimm, I am Salem" she said before in her hand appeared a small bug Grimm. The reaper tried to turn away but the witch held her mouth open and tossed the bug in it, seeing it go down her throat, she stood up and walked away.

She had one last thing to do...

Ozpin:

He sat there in that child's body, motionless, cold to the world with tears in his eyes. He had watched Salem nearly killed Mr. Arc... he had witnessed the witch turn Miss Rose... and then with the relics, she sent them away.

"He who gathers all the relics will have the power of the brothers... that is what was said was it not" Salem said as she walked up to him, chuckling to herself as Ozpin refused to look up. Soon he flinched as she wrapped herself around him, Like a mother holding a son...

or two lost lovers reunited.

"But we know that's not true... those who collect the four relics are granted another power" she said as she whispered something into his ear.

"Time-Travel" she said making Ozpin finally choke. Was he crying? Did he still hold any semblance of a flame of love for her...

"Just answer me this... why?" That was a question they both knew the answer to. They never had another choice...

"You truly are arrogant Ozpin... You thought you could save me... thought you could win" she said before looking into his eyes. One Red and one Silver... meeting two tired blue eyes.

"This won't be over... Ruby... Salem... I will stop you..." he would save her and bring her home...

"Jaune... tell me, what can you do to save me, when you can't save yourself." Cutting the chained, she allowed Ozpin to fall to the floor as she looked down at him, ignoring a lone tear from her silver eye.

"Salem... I... I'll stop this madness... I swear it" Ozpin screamed with both anger and defiance in his eyes before Salem sighed, grabbing what seemed to an odd weapon... a simple scythe... nothing more, nothing less.

"...Perhaps in the next life, Ozpin" she whispered as the silver began fading, being covered in a deep red.

...Perhaps in the next life...

And with Ozpin saw nothing other than darkness.

* * *

Ozpin: Perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten; things that require a smaller, more honest soul...

Salem: A smaller, more honest soul. It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute... which is why I will focus all of my power to snuff it out.

* * *

 **Ok, so for those of you who read through this... I'm sorry for your ruined innocence but this was an idea that was in my idea after I heard the "Ozpin is future Jaune" and "Salem is Summer" theories. That being said. I also wanted to make a challenge if Salem was a corrupted Ruby and Jaune was a future Ozpin except Salem and Ozpin both died and were both reincarnated as Ruby and Jaune.**

 **I'll leave a challenge in my profile with more information. The Next RWBY story will be a lot more happier. I guarantee you that. so until then...**


	2. Into the Past

**So since this is a story that didn't make much sense in itself, I decided to add onto it, to better explain the plot of the story. Basically it's Jaune and Ruby being sent into the past by Salem, with Jaune eventually becoming Ozpin and Ruby being corrupted and eventually becomes Salem. Either way, I Do Not own RWBY, it belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

Jaune was scared, how did this happen... How?!

He held on to his friend, channeling his aura into her the best he could, meanwhile her Silver Eyes tried to do his best to purge the Grimm Salem inserted into her. Salem... Salem was the source of this. He didn't know where he was... he didn't know what to do... but something was going on, something he couldn't explain.

He lost too many people already... he couldn't lose her either... not his Ruby...

"J...Jaune..." he heard the reaper reply weakly as he tried to keep her calm, tried to keep her safe. Ruby was strong... she could survive whatever Salem did to her. He wouldn't let her die... nothing could be worse...

...Nothing...

His aura faded... Ruby's eyes flashed one last time before they faded. Jaune could only look on in horror as his girlfriend's skin became pale, veins showing and her hair no longer the dark hair that matched her attire, now a pitch black and white. He needed to get her to shelter...

But would they be welcomed in humanity... with Ruby like this?

Screaming in frustration, he picked her up and ran to where ever he could...

* * *

Ruby was in pain, what happened to her, why couldn't she remember?

"Ruby..." a voice called into her head as she opened her eyes and found herself in a void. Looking around, she saw a blond girl around her age... She seemed familiar... she knew her? wait... Yang

Yang Xiao-Long

Her sister... she had a sister, she had a team, she was Ruby Rose. Huntress, Silver-Eyed Warrior and leader of both Team RWBY and later Team RNJR.

"Yang... Yang" she called out to her, before grabbing her shoulder... the last thing she expected was her hand to ignite into flames, crying out in pain, she looked at her sister, who still looked away. "Y-Yang..." she called out in small fear before her sister turned around.

"I told you that I'd burn you..." Cinder Fall said, her form returning to normal as she made a sword out of obsidian-like glass shards. Ruby could only look on in anger, Cinder smirking before she disappeared.

"It's your fault" a voice called out as Ruby looked back and saw Yang, on the ground, bleeding with a hole in her chest. "You should have saved us... avenged us..."

"W-What?" the reaper called as her feet started to freeze. Looking down, she saw a face form in the ice.

"You dolt, you should have beat her..." Weiss said with tears, Ruby looking in the ice-like mirror before her shadow gripped her from behind, holding what seemed to be a knife at her throat.

"She won... Why didn't you fight harder..." Blake's voice called out as her yellow cat-like eyes glared into her. Blake now, from her shadow... but how, what was happening?

"He was mine..." another voice appeared as the three other Huntresses disappeared, only to reveal a red haired woman with a small smile. "Jaune... he was supposed to be mine... you stole him from me..." she said.

"P-Pyrrha?!"

"You stole him... you let me die so you could take him for yourself!" she snapped as she glared at the reaper before an arrow pierced her chest. Seeing her begin to fall... Ruby ran towards her, catching her in her arms before she held the red haired girl.

"Pyrrha..." she cried as she felt horrified for her friend. She could only look on as Pyrrha called out to her one last time...

"Tell me... Do you believe in destiny..." she asked as she started to disintegrate in her arms, causing Ruby freeze... this. this wasn't right.

"Pyrrha!" she heard a voice call out to her as she saw what looked like a younger silver-eyed girl begin to cry before she was surrounded in a silver light. Soon Ruby was covered in it's radiance... and she felt pain.

She felt her flesh burn, turning into stone before she heard one last voice.

"Ruby... Ruby? Ruby!" a male's voice called out to her. Looking up, she saw a blond man look at her in confusion and horror.

"Jaune..." she whispered... as she saw him run to her, only for two chains to appear out of nowhere. Ruby could only look on in horror as he was dragged up to a wall.

"You couldn't save him..." a woman's voice called to her. Soon enough a familiar woman appeared, one that made her filled with both anger and rage.

"Salem..." she glared as the Grimm Queen smiled. Looking up in a small cage, Ruby traced her gaze and saw Oscar, unconscious. "No... Let them go" she cried as she saw the woman smirk grow.

"Stop me" she mocked before Oscar was impaled by several tenticles from what seemed like a giant Seer. Ruby stared in horror. No, not Ozpin... not Oscar too.

"Ruby... don't worry about me..." Jaune called out as Salem turned to him and brought out a small box. From it, she pulled out a familiar weapon.

Cresent Rose.

"This is what you get for trying to stop me" she said as she handed the scythe to Ruby. "This is your punishment for meddling with my plans" she glared as Ruby felt her body move on her own.

"And now... it's only fair... to make you suffer" she finished as Ruby approached Jaune with Cresent Rose raised above him.

"I'm sorry Ruby..." Jaune apologized before Ruby shed a lone tear.

"...I... I'll save you Jaune... I promise I will..." she cried out as Salem smiled, clapping her hands together.

"Maybe in the next life..." she mocked before Ruby swung down. Her blade, her body... all stained in blood... fitting for the Reaper of the Red Roses.

She was surrounded in darkness...

"...Ruby..."

She was alone... like a monster

"...Ruby?..."

She was no better than the Grimm-

"RUBY!"

* * *

Ruby awoke, her head ringing in pain. She felt so many things... so much regret... so much darkness. Feeling some extra weight on her side, she noticed Jaune hugging her, in a form of comfort... and in a form of fear.

"Jaune..." she asked confused as she saw him snuggle into her more. Smiling, she just sighed, she could tell that he was safe... Her vomit boy was safe... That was good... but what happened? To Ozpin? To Salem?

Trying to get up, she slipped out of Jaune's grip on her. Smiling as she saw her boyfriend moan something, she decided to go out into the open with a smirk, however, something felt off... what was going on... why did she feel angry all of a sudden?

Looking behind her, she saw Jaune and shivered in something she never felt before...

A deep desire for blood... She wanted to hurt him, hunt him, kill him... Eat Him... Destroy Him.

Completely eliminate him off the face of this world.

"Ruby..." he called out as he moaned as he looked up at her and froze. She could sense the fear in him, it felt great!

"Jaune..." she called out with a smile, her red eyes glowing in excitement as Jaune reached for his weapon... a small sharpened rock that resembled a primal knife. Ruby did mind, it made it more exciting... She wanted to feed, she needed to kill...

She charged and Jaune defended...

She didn't know what happened next but she felt sore, and seeing Jaune holding his arm with a pain expression etched on his face, she looked around... did they fight... What was happening to her. Why did she feel so off.

Looking around, she ran to the river that was around the cave, wanting to see her reflection... Soon enough, she examined her form. Jaune ran to her, hearing her scream

He ran to his lover, who became a Grimm... so much like Salem...

"J-Jaune... what... I" she muttered with disbelief before the blond slowly held her in his arms. He tried to comfort her, he wish he could have done more. All he could do was be there for her.

Meanwhile Ruby realized the truth... She was a monster, a Grimm... She hurt her only friend left... and soon realized she couldn't sense their child anymore... Their own unborn child...

Taken away by Salem... taken away by that Bi-

"Ruby" Jaune called, tears in his eyes, both of them suffering together, not alone... not now. Soon Ruby asked one question, one that made Jaune freeze.

"J-Jaune..." she whispered in a hoarse voice. "W-Where are we?" she asked as Jaune said nothing, holding her closer as to protect her from some unknown attacker.

"...I don't know... but... all I know is... we're in this together" he said with a small smile, trying to keep up his false bravado.

Together... they might be afraid, confused... but they were still together... and they would find a way back... they had to...

For their sakes...

* * *

 **Alright so I decided to divide this into two more parts, focusing on Ruby's eventual corruption and Jaune's curse into Ozpin. Was this a good idea to continue or should I have just left this as is? Thoughts, advice and criticism is all welcomed.**


End file.
